Everton supporters added their own chorus of condemnation: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.”

That may be unlikely, even from Chelsea’s enigmatic owner, with FA Cup and Champions League assignments looming, but the reality is that his club no longer looks a force in the title contest.

They dominated periods of this match without ever ­displaying the power and venom of their heady years.

Fernando Torres is now almost five months into his League drought, but then he was again given scant service and too many others are playing below an acceptable level of creativity and commitment.

Villas-Boas, reluctant to acknowledge Manchester United’s superiority last week, made no attempt to hide from reality this time.

“Today was our worst game in every sense of the word,” he said.“Everton were ­fantastic and their signings have helped them a lot.

“We were short of anything positive. It was a difficult day. There are a lot of negatives and things to improve on. We didn’t create enough.”

He accepted the derision of the fans as “part of the game” and insisted he would ­persevere with the misfirin­g Torres.

He said: “Torres is trying a lot to get his chance. Whatever time it takes we will persevere until he scores again. But I don’t create a system for one player.”

Everton boss David Moyes hailed his players, especially Steven Pienaar, back at Everton on loan from Spurs.

He said: “That was a great result, though the strange thing is I think we can play better.

“Some of Pienaar’s stuff was terrific. It’s as if he’d never been away. Sometimes clubs suit players.”

Everton may be less gifted individually, but they have the organisation and endeavour to confound the odds.

Pienaar’s first goal back in the blue shirt and Denis Stracqualursi’s strike rewarded their honest ­philosophy.

Villas-Boas, still without the services of John Terry, opted to go with Branislav Ivanovic and David Luiz at the heart of his defence and return Gary Cahill to the bench, but he did restore Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard to the fold.

Lampard might have wished for a less conspicuous comeback as he unwittingly set up Pienaar’s goal. The Chelsea skipper’s attempted intervention merely served to propel the ball into the path of the winger, who smashed it into the roof of Petr Cech’s net.

Lampard wrung his hands in horror, but put ­himself at the hub of Chelsea’s controlled response as they patiently sought an opening.

A miscued ­attempt at a clearance by Phil Neville presented Daniel Sturridge with half a chance but to the winger’s ­dismay, he could not turn it into the genuine article.

Chelsea sustained the ­pressure, forcing Tim Howard into a panic punch that Luiz failed to make the most of.

Everton continued to ride their luck, a timely deflection lifting Sturridge’s blast over the crossbar. They escaped again as Lampard, making that trademark run into the area, pushed his shot wide.

A mistake by Cole gave Everton a rare opening and the full-back was relieved Stracqualursi could not capitalise.

Chelsea maintained their edge in possession yet grew increasingly desperate as they struggled to find a leveller.

Villas-Boas sent on Florent Malouda for Michael Essien, a move that drew chants of ­derision from Chelsea fans.

On the other hand, Everton knew exactly what they were doing from the moment ­Neville won the ball and fed Landon Donovan.

The winger, on loan from LA Galaxy, made ground, cut inside and found Stracqualursi, who beat the advancing Cech to secure the win. Howard averted any late anxiety by smothering the ball at the feet of substitute Romelu Lukaku.